Notice: Please Wear a Mask!

On January 21st, 2020, the CDC confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States. 

Millions of Americans from Stockton, California to New York, New York had no idea what was about to hit them. Now, in 2021, we have ways of protecting ourselves including social distancing, vaccines, and protective masks. Personal protective equipment like masks could have been seen as a symbol of hope for health in a less politically divided world. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world. We need to leave politics and opinions out of healthcare and safety measures to protect ourselves and those around us.

According to The Washington Post, Americans are making the politicization of masks into a habit. We had the same trouble getting people to wear masks during the 1918 flu pandemic as we do today in 2021. The government tried a variety of tactics to increase mask wearing. They tried to show how “manly” and “patriotic” wearing a mask was but protest against masks persisted. Clearly this polarization is becoming stale. 

I wish I could say I was surprised to be writing an opinion article about masking for protection against COVID; but in the current political climate that is just wishful thinking. I am not a doctor. I am not an epidemiologist. I am not a vaccine developer or a nurse. In order to keep myself and those around me safe, I have to rely on the trustworthy information coming from medical sources.

Everyone walking around today deserves the chance to live without outside interference. Everyone also deserves respect. This includes not infecting people with COVID-19 or any variants of the virus. People deserve this because they are people; because they exist, are alive and breathing. That is why we need to move away from politics and focus on trusted science.

The CDC recommends that people wear masks and get vaccinated. This should be enough of an incentive to wear a mask for all Americans, even if you don’t care about preventing possible deaths of others. Researchers, scientists, and medical personnel all went above and beyond to get us this information quickly. Yet, some people deem it wise to ignore them. 

Everyone also deserves accurate information. If you are unsure about the reliability of vaccines, or the effectiveness of masks, take a look at specific and trusted medical sources for COVID-19 and information on masking, such as the official CDC website. It is easy for any of us to create a media bubble around ourselves and be surrounded by news sources that influence us both politically and subliminally. If you care about freedom and liberty, exert your own freedom. Take this matter into your own hands and protect yourself. No one wants to be the person who makes someone else sick. 

Facts and the hard work of the people who strive to protect us daily are what really matter during this trying time. My “opinion” on wearing a mask is pretty clear: opinions have no place in health crises. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/11/18/battle-over-masks-has-always-been-political/

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/k-12-guidance.html